Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

You're a university student who finds himself trapped on a sinking ferry with eight other passengers, forced to play a twisted game where losing means a watery grave. This is Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the Nintendo DS.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS, though some would call it a visual horror novel. It's sort of like Hotel Dusk or Time Hollow, telling a story while keeping things interactive enough to still call it a game.

In this case, the story is about Junpei, a university student challenged to the 'Nonary Game' by a mysterious figure wearing a gas mask. He'll have to open the nine doors in nine hours to save nine people, himself included. Along the way he'll face more than 32 puzzles, ranging from numerology to music composition to logic puzzles.

"We've decided to call 999 an 'Adventure' game," say Ben Bateman, Localisation Editor, Aksys Games, "but I don't really feel that's entirely accurate. 999 is a game that simulates life, or at least it would if your life was about being trapped on a sinking ship and forced to complete a series of incomprehensible puzzles before your practically inevitable death. It is about relationships, and how they will ultimately kill you. There is also some blood, and an axe, so if you've always wanted some blood and an axe in your life, there you go. But what really brings 999 to life are the people who inhabit it. You will learn to care for them; to feel as though you are there and they are your friends, and then they will die because you made the wrong choices. Just like in real life."

Aksys games is bringing Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors to North America later this year.

If you've yet to try an adventure-type game on the DS, I'd highly recommend it. It's the perfect sort of game for long hours on the train, plane or toilet. Just watch out for bottom numbness.